Indian
Americans throughout the Sunshine State will be celebrating India’s Independence
Day this year. Here are some of the communities that are honoring the freedom
India won back from the British on Aug. 15, 1947.

TAMPA/CLEARWATER/ST. PETERSBURG

AUG. 14: The Federation
of Indian Associations of Tampa Bay (FIA) will hold a India Independence Day
Charity Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn
Road, Tampa.Kalaivani Dance & Music Academy of Atlanta will present
Fusion2 The Future. Admission is free. Numerous competitions such as middle and
high school essay writing, youth general knowledge; mehndi and hairdressing, and
fruit carving will be held from 10 a.m. to 4. Cultural activities will begin
from 4 p.m. onward. There also will be flag hoisting, local talent shows and
vendor booths.

Emphasis is on
support for local institutions such as Metropolitan Ministries, The Children’s
Home, Hillsborough and Pinellas county public schools. Attendees to the festival
are urged to bring cans of food, non-perishable food products, school supplies
and also can make cash donations.

Rashmi Jakhotia is
the first woman president of FIA. This year, FIA is producing an “Indian Funeral
Resource Book,” which will have information about all funeral homes with
cremation facilities in Greater Tampa Bay area, checklist for cremation
preparation, priest names and contact information, pooja samagri, list of
volunteers who can help, and negotiated base charges for service, etc.

AUG. 15: The Hindu
Society of Central Florida (HSCF) will present Festival of India from 9 a.m. to
7 p.m. on temple grounds at 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry. There will be a health
fair from 9 a.m. to noon. The cultural program will start at noon. Booths
selling Indian food, jewelry and clothing will be set up. For more information,
call HSCF Chairman Dr. Rajesh Patel at (407) 687-8576, HSCF President Sreenivas
Jarugula at (407) 267-7595 or visit
www.hindutempleorlando.org

GAINESVILLE

AUG. 15: The Indian
Cultural & Education Center (ICEC) Youth Group will hold India Independence Day
celebration from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. in ICEC Main Hall, 1115 S.W. 13th
St., Gainesville.Lunch items for
sale will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. For more information, call Neeta Someshwar
at (352) 335-1433 or visit
www.icec-florida.org

JACKSONVILLE

AUG. 15:
The Indian Cultural Society of Jacksonville with celebrate India’s Independence
Day at Lazarra Hall, University of North Florida, Jacksonville. The parade will
be from 3 to p.m. with cultural program from 5:30 to 7:30 followed by dinner
(free). For more information, e-mail
IndependenceDay@jaxics.org or
visit
www.jaxics.org

MELBOURNE (SPACE
COAST)

AUG. 14:
The Indian Association of Space Coast (IASC) will hold India Day at Melbourne
Auditorium,
625 E. Hibiscus Blvd.,
Melbourne. There will be a free community health screening from 7:30 a.m. to
10:30 a.m. The Independence Day celebrations will be from 4 to 10 p.m. On the
agenda are a flag ceremony, parade, cultural program and live Hindi music by
RARE Elements of Chicago. For more information, call CJ and Jigisha Shelat at
(321) 258-5505 or Ravi Jeloka at (321) 446-3775 or visit
www.iascbrevard.com

SOUTH FLORIDA

AUG. 15:
The Association of Indians in America (AIA) South Florida chapter along with
local Indian organizations will hold Indian Independence Day celebrations from
noon to 3 p.m. at the Amaturo Theater in Broward Center for the Performing Arts,
201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free. On the agenda is free
henna from noon to 1; cultural dance and music and of course Indian cuisine. For
details, call Uma Eniasivam at (954) 341-9346, Hovi Shroff at (561) 703-1878 or
visit
www.aiaflorida.org

TALLAHASSEE

AUG. 21:
INDEPENDENCE DAY/UTSAV/INDIA DAY 2010;
The India Association of Tallahassee (IATLH) will be celebrating Indian
Independence Day, Utsav - a cultural program, and India Day – a food and
handicrafts fair, between noon and 6 p.m. at FSU Moore Auditorium and quadrangle
in front of Moore auditorium, FSU Campus. INSAT and FSU-Center for Global
Engagement are co-sponsors. The event is open to public and admission to the
cultural event is free. For more information, e-mail Thayumana Somasundaram,
president of IATLH, at
President.iatlh@gmail.com or
visit
www.iatlh.org

As we reach our
six-year anniversary this month, we want to acknowledge and thank our
columnists, writers and well-wishers for their help and encouragement. And of
course, the business end of a publication cannot function without support from
our advertisers.

In the changing
pace of print media, we are glad that Khaas Baat has filled a niche providing
information that isn’t available in other medium. We will continue to do the
same in future. However, we welcome your suggestions and any new ideas on how we
can expand and better serve the Indian American community in Florida.

The month’s issue
is packed with news and events, including the India Independence Day
celebrations. Khaas Baat columnist and immigration attorney Dilip Patel explains
the steps to take to surrender your Indian passport if you are a naturalized
U.S. citizen (story, page 11). Also, do read our profile of Dr. Akshay Desai,
president of Universal Health Care (story, page 17).

Community
organizers, remember to email us at
editor@khaasbaat.com about future
events in your town. Remember, Khaas Baat is the ONE AND ONLY Sunshine State
publication to offer comprehensive coverage of happenings in your Florida Indian
community.

Bansuri maestro Pandit
Hariprasad Chaurasia will perform Saturday, Sept. 4 in Fort Lauderdale. He will
be accompanied by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee on tabla and Mohini Athavale on
tanpura. The musical concert has been organized by the Association of Performing
Arts of India (www.apaiart.com)

Tickets for the 6 to 9 p.m.
concert at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Amaturo Theater, 201 S.W.
Fifth Ave., range from $29 to $125. Afterward, there will be a fundraising
dinner ($75). A portion of the proceeds will benefit APAI’s educational and
community outreach programs.

From humble beginnings,
Desai studied to become a physician, immigrated to the United States, acquired a
practice and eventually became the founder of Universal Health Care Group, an
HMO with reach into 16 states. As the CEO, president and chairman of the board
for Universal, he now owns a building with a prime location in downtown St.
Petersburg. In spite of such success, though, he hasn’t forgotten his employees.

“We are blessed by our 500
Universal associates,” says Desai, 51, the recent winner of the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Florida in health services. “I am thankful to our
associates for their hard work, dedication and desire to propel the company to
new heights. They give their best everyday to the company and our customers. For
that, I am indebted to our associates.”

“Always the soul of a
sports car” is the tagline the Japanese carmaker uses for its vehicles. But the
label appears to stick to the agile Mazda3 more than to the rest of the lineup.

Redesigned in and out for
2010, the compact hatchback acquires an all-new 2.5-liter DOHC inline-4 cylinder
engine to replace the previous 2.3 liters. Horsepower is up by 11 to 167 at 6000
rpm and 168 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. The lively, fun-to-drive
front-wheel-drive ride is available as a smooth-shifting 6-speed manual or a
5-speed automatic transmission. Suspension is handled adeptly by an independent
MacPherson strut front and an E-type multilink rear system.

Front and rear bumpers,
grille insert, side-sill extension, mirrors and door handles are body-colored,
giving the hatchback a bold appearance. Also noteworthy are bi-xenon headlights,
clear-lens LED tail lamps, dual exhaust tips and a rear spoiler. The cabin
offers standard dual-zone automatic climate control, three-spoke tilt/telescopic
steering wheel, eight-way power driver’s seat, 60/40 fold rear seat, two front
and rear cup holders and a sizeable front center console. The electroluminescent
gauges for speedometer and tachometer, illuminated by red and blue colors with
white needles, look cool. And kudos to Mazda for standard heated seats, a
feature you will find in upscale cars though rarely of much used in the Sunshine
State.

Yutaka Katayama may not be a household name but you can
shower accolades on the former president of Nissan’s U.S. operations in the
1970s. After all, he was instrumental in bringing the Fairlady Z, known then as
240Z, to the American roads. And what a ride it’s been for the icon, which
debuted as a 2.4-liter single-overhead cam inline-6 cylinder engine with just
150 horsepower, 4-speed or 3-speed automatic transmission and 14-inch wheels in
1970.

Forty years later, the 370Z (as in a 3.7-liter V-6 engine)
anniversary edition cranks out 332 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 270 pounds-feet of
torque at 5200 rpm. The rear-wheel-drive coupe is equipped with a sole 6-speed
manual transmission. And how can we forget those 18-inch alloy wheels? What a
difference four decades can make!

“Throughout the history of the automobile, a rare handful
of cars stand apart as vehicles that not only capture the imagination of the
world but also embody the essence of the automaker’s brand, engineering and
ideals,” said Al Castignetti of Nissan. “The Z is just such a vehicle.”

Not everyone looks to buy a
four-wheel-drive vehicle. But if you in the market for a compact SUV with off-
and on-road capabilities, then you cannot afford to pass on the 2010 Suzuki
Grand Vitara, which for the money is a bargain. Agreed, it doesn’t offer all the
ruggedness and luxury of a Land Rover but the SUV is up to the job of taking you
safely off the beaten path or confidently to tackle the rigors of daily driving.

A carryover from 2009, the Grand Vitara is equipped with a
3.2-liter V-6 engine that blasts off 230 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 213
pounds-feet of torque at 3500 rpm. It is mated to a dependable 5-speed automatic
transmission. But best of all is a high or low range 4H Lock for off-road
conditions. The full-time, 4WD also ensures that steep inclines can be securely
negotiated via Hill Hold and Descent controls. And once you are on the highway
or in the city, just switch back to 4H so the front wheels get traction as
needed. Ground clearance is a laudable 7.9 inches as is tow capacity at 3,000
pounds.

Sitting on a unibody structure is a centered S in the huge
grille, surrounded by dual horizontal headlights, vertical tail lamps and
body-colored mirrors, door handles and bumpers, and 18-inch wheels. Black
wood-grain trim accents on the doors and shifter area catch the eye as you slide
into inviting leather seats behind a tilt steering wheel. Loading cargo and lots
of it is effortless, thanks to 24.4 cubic feet of space with the 60/40 rear seat
up or 68.9 cubic feet with the seat folded. Also standard is a touch- screen
Garmin navigation system, driver information center, power tilt-and-slide sun
roof, automatic climate control and a huge under-floor storage bin in the cargo
hold.

With its remarkable off- and on-road manners (attributed to
four-wheel drive) and the much-touted 100,000-mile, seven-year transferable
power-train limited warranty, the Grand Vitara is a compact SUV we highly
recommend.

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